Good Morning, Colleagues.
Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs (…starting to get back to ‘normal’):
Fall Welcome Activities
– Fall Welcome is again set to welcome our students to UWM as they arrive for the beginning of the fall semester. Welcome activities start tomorrow (August 25) with UNITE, the annual outreach program to students who live in the east side neighborhoods surrounding the campus. Residence hall student move-in begins August 27 and other activities include Panther Academic Welcome Day, the University Welcome, outings to a Brewers game and the Milwaukee County Zoo, tours of the city, and more. The always-popular Panther Street Festival and Panther Fest are scheduled for Friday, September 4. For more information about Fall Welcome activities, visit
http://uwm.edu/fallwelcome/pages/schedule.html.
Kudos
– Dean Bob Greenstreet shared with me the good news that a team of School of Architecture & Urban Planning graduate students, led by Jacob G. Jordan (M. Arch/MUP), received an Honorable Mention award in the UD4U urban design competition held for the redevelopment of the abandoned Chrysler Engine Plant in Kenosha. The “AutoLink Park” was envisioned as a showcase of best practices in site design, stormwater management, and urban agriculture. Team members included Joe Stefanich, Efrain Cano, and Ryan Guetschow. Also: M. Arch students Daniel Causier and Matt Moulis have been awarded first prize in the Chicago Award in Architecture design competition. See http://www.aiachicago.org/news/entry/2015-chicago-student-awards-in-architecture-winners-announced#.VdM0A2eFPIU.
The Week:
Monday
I’m doing a welcome at the TA orientation and I’m attending meetings of the Academic Staff Committee, the Chancellor’s Cabinet, and the Chancellor’s Enrollment Management Action Team. Agenda items include M3 Partnership: Literacy Program, Contest for Scholarships; Course Options Update and Panther Template for Student Success.
Tuesday
In the morning, I meet with the deans and also have a meeting with Zilber School of Public Health leadership and a Council on Education for Public Health consultant, (in preparation for the school’s accreditation), followed by a staff retreat at the Alumni House.
Wednesday
I have a weekly meeting with the Chancellor, a meeting with College of Engineering and Applied Science faculty and staff, and meetings with direct reports.
Thursday
The space-planning committee meets (Robin Van Harpen and I co-chair this committee). We also have the new faculty orientation and the new graduate student orientation (I will be at both of these events). I hope to have the names of new hires available soon, to share with campus.
Friday
A day of budget-related meetings, including the Budget Model Working Group (we meet from 8 to noon) and a standing meeting with VC Van Harpen.
Announcements
Fall Start-of-Semester Memo
– The 2015 fall memo is now available.
Faculty Sabbatical Program Guidelines
– The 2016-17 faculty sabbatical guidelines are available. Note that the deadline for the Departments to forward proposals to the Deans’ offices is October 5. Please contact Bridgett Kemp (bkemp@uwm.edu or 229-4896) if you have any questions.
UWM Night at Miller Park – Discounted tickets now on sale for Brewers-Reds game
– Join fellow UWM employees, alumni, students, and families for UWM Night at Miller Park September 18. The game between Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds starts at 7:10 p.m. Discounted tickets are available for two locations, with Loge Outfield tickets only $20 and Bleacher tickets only $14. Both prices offer a substantial discount off the box office price and avoid Ticketmaster fees. Plus, it’s a great chance to join fellow Panthers on a night when UWM will be front and center. UWM student Katherine Henry will sing the national anthem and UWM will recognize its schools and colleges celebrating anniversaries during first pitch ceremonies on the field. Purchase tickets today!
Mini-Grant Opportunity for Civic Learning and Student Success Initiative
– A consortium of four organizations—Campus Compact, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), Education Commission of the States (ECS), and Generation Citizen—are launching an initiative to advance civic learning and student success across the education continuum.
The initiative is grounded in the understanding that civic learning is both intrinsically important and is a powerful way to deepen students’ engagement in their own education, thereby promoting their overall success. The initiative is a team-based approach designed to support local education partnerships through an Action Summit and complementary learning communities. To enable participation in the Summit by broad-based urban and regional teams, the consortium is making available small grants to cover participants’ travel and lodging expenses.
Other
– And Usain Bolt did it again!
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs